The US House of Representatives, now under the control of the Democrats, has wasted no time since taking control two months ago to address the most important crisis in America: passing a resolution criticizing Japan for not apologizing for the wartime Imperial government’s alleged involvement with “Comfort Women” (overview here, insight here).
Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Aso, known on this side of the Pacific for his brashness, has been unusually calm and measured in his response, probably because he’s dealing with America and not an Asian neighbor:
[Aso called the] draft resolution on World War II comfort women before U.S. Congress “extremely regrettable”Â? and “not based on objective facts.”Â? The resolution, calling for an apology from the Japanese government for drafting thousands of women across Asia into sexual slavery, was submitted to Congress in late January. He made it clear that Tokyo will seek to prevent passage of the resolution, which he said does “not reflect views of the Japanese government.”Â? He said Tokyo will try to make Congress understand its position even though the resolution is not legally binding.
Exactly what business other countries have sticking their beaks in how other country’s treat history is beyond us here at CA, and it’s been addressed previously here. To go a step further, I personally think it’s batshit crazy for another country to criticize another country’s history for no other apparent reason than to 1.) appeal to domestic interest groups, and 2.) pat themselves on the back for being so self-righteous, especially when, such as in this case, the result will be nothing other than piss off Washington’s only remaining major geopolitical ally, and reward a country (ROK) whose people loathe America.
Of course, in this vein it’s worth noting that Virginia just become the first state to pass a resolution expressing “sorrow and regret” for slavery. No mention has been made of reparations, and of course, Congress has yet to lift a finger on this regard. Yet if we follow the logic of the current resolution, foreign countries should be passing resolutions to demand the US apologize for slavery. If the geopolitical argument noted above doesn’t win out over these blockhead Congressman, perhaps this will.
Well, it happens all the time – not just Democrats in the US, and not just the US among democracies (as you pointed out with France) – in fact, there is no prerequiste that it has to be a democracy doing the pandering to domestic opinion.
Republicans criticize other countries on issues of purely domestic policy too – countries like Austria for trying to limit Scientologists and Jehova’s Witnesses (which tend to be regarded the way we regard a cult such as Rev. Moon’s), or Romania for banning intercountry adoption. Whatever one thinks about those policies, neither of them could be said to be over-the-top human rights abuses, but when a politician has possible points to score, he or she is bound to try and score them. Romania, by the way, is a serious geopolitical ally to the US, also.
Do not expect logic from the Democrats. A basis for their sociopolitical philosophy is the concept that emotionalism is just as significant, if not more, than rational thought. This move could be a series of “pay-back” to political administrations of other countries who have supported Bush’s foreign policies. I expect Australia to get a nasty letter from Pelosi any day now.
The liberal-left is composed of people whose brains do not work properly. This is why this sort of thing is to be expected from the democrats.
On one hand, if Japan owned up to the real extent of its actions in WWII it would go a long way towards making its own diplomacy with many of its neighbors easier. But this kind of slapdash, pandering resolution is making things much worse. The reflection has to come from the Japanese themselves, not foreigners. This idiotic resolution will have exactly the same effect as the French resolution on the Armenian atrocities–it will be seen as an attack by a foreign power, and motivate anti-Americanism and Japanese nationalism.
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Not so sure Japanese nationalism is a bad thing.
That aside, why our lawmakers are essentially wasting time and tax dollars on offenses committed by another country during a different war in light of todays US engagement in not one but two battle theaters is both inexplicable and embarrassing.
It seems this is (a) a pet cause for prominent libs but more prominently (b) a showcase of Korean-American interest groups showing their power over California liberals in particular? This is no different than the activities of the Armenians and Israelis to protect their interests and pursue their historical grievances.
I’m not as offended by the subject matter of this resolution as I am by the pointlessness of it. All these congresspeople must have had a flashback to their days in student government, when they made lofty resolutions about world peace and then proceeded to spend the students’ activity fees on beer and pizza.
And for those of you using this as an opportunity to mock the “Left,” don’t think for a second that the “Right” wouldn’t do the same thing. Neither side has a monopoly on ideological hacks.
Congressmen Honda the leader of this resolution does have a Korean-American voting blog he is trying to appease. Also the hypocrisy of this resolution is truly amazing when you consider that Honda is attacking the Japanese for sexual abuses that happened 60 years ago that the chief cabinet secretary apologized for in 1993 and opened a compensation fund that raised 5 million for the effected women, while in China today North Korean women are undergoing modern day sexual slavery and Honda isn’t saying a word, in fact he has been an apologist for the Chinese.
You can read a whole lot more of my thoughts on this here:
http://rokdrop.com/2007/02/12/useful-idiot-michael-honda/
Sex slavery currently exists to some degree in many, if not most or even all, countries in the world. Of course, doing something about that would actually require some effort, unlike say passing a non-binding resolution.
Incidentally, who wants to just see an end to non-binding resolutions on ANY topic? If politicians want to just talk about an issue instead of actually doing something about it, well that’s their right, but I would like for them to give up on these meaningless votes that are a pretense of doing something.
Subadei,
I don’t consider nationalism in the abstract a bad thing. What I meant to say was jingoism–the kind that appears to be on the rise in some sectors of Japan (although it in no way compares to the state-sponsored jingoism thats currently popular in China). Rebuking another country in a ham-handed effort to compel them to dredge up yet another apology is something that will surely backfire. Eddie, that’s an interesting point. Interest politics at its finest.
You know G.I. Korea, there’s also about 50,000 sex slaves in the U.S.
“You know G.I. Korea, there’s also about 50,000 sex slaves in the U.S.”
I think people are using this word”sex slavery”without any clear definition.If you have a contract that’s simple”sex worker”.
“jingoism””?the kind that appears to be on the rise in some sectors of Japan”
Is this another “Japanese are at it again”theory,A.E.
Maybe because Japan is under continuous suspicion from cynical western eyes and liberal(waaay more liberal than any nation in the region)domestic media and surrounded by the countries who sees Japan’s gains are their losses,you constantly get this kind of news.Look at Abe now.He seems to be just as powerless as any J-politicians apart from what’s been said 6months ago.
Aceface,
That’s also a good point. It is sometimes hard to distinguish the facts of domestic politics from scares raised by the media.
Just in case some of you wonder.I’m not against all the criticism from both in and out of the country that Japan goes “right”.But then again what do you expect Japan to do.Go “Wrong”?
“I think people are using this word”Â?sex slavery”Â?without any clear definition.If you have a contract that’s simple”Â?sex worker”Â?.”
I’ve read plenty of articles about women from poor countries who were tricked into moving to wealthy countries like the US, Canada, Japan, Western Europe with promises of respectable jobs, and then have their passports stolen, and are enslaved and forced to act as prostitutes. It can be hard to believe how a woman wouldn’t just go to the police, but it is more believable if you consider that they have had their passport taken away, don’t know any a single person in the country, don’t speak the language, and in some reports have also had their family back home threatened by their captors. Their situation is not really very different from the many of the comfort women taken by Japan in WW2.
I have no idea if the 50,000 number is accurate and I doubt that anybody really has a good estimate, but they certainly exist in many countries.
Oh, and Aceface- a prostitute couldn’t have a contract anywhere in the US except for Nevada, because that is the only state where the practice is legal. Of course there are plenty of perfectly willing prostitutes in every US state and every country, but that is very different from sex slavery.
“jingoism””?the kind that appears to be on the rise in some sectors of Japan”
It may be fair to say that a certain kind of nationalism is, if not on the rise, at least becoming more social acceptable in Japan, but I certainly would not call it “jingoism.” Jingoism is when the general populace of a country supports the use of military force in bullying other countries. Yes, there are jingoistic politicians in Japan, but I think it is still an extremely minority attitude in civilians.
“prostitute couldn’t have a contract anywhere in the US except for Nevada”
Never knew,but that was what it was in Japan until brothels were
abolished in 50′s.Usually sold by their own peasant parents.Which make the word “slave”partly correct.
“Their situation is not really very different from the many of the comfort women taken by Japan in WW2.”
Well….I have a different opinion about that.MF.
“Well”¦.I have a different opinion about that.MF.”
How so? I’ve heard former comfort women describe how some guy came to their village and offered them a well paying job working as a waitress or cleaning woman overseas, so they went along and upon arrival ended up being told that they had to work as a military prostitute or they wouldn’t have any place to live or anything to eat. Isn’t this a similar kind of situation? From what I understand, some comfort women were actual sex workers in their home country, some were tricked much like the women I described above, and some were kidnapped physically.
Hey,You’ve already said what I wanted to say,MF.
Every individuals have different cases.Not all were enforced to work as the comfort women.
“some were kidnapped physically”
I don’t challenge this.
But it is very difficult to keep an employee who do not wish to continue working in the post and any employer would want to avoid that.Besides comfort station was built usually right next to the garrison.If one of them escapes it could potentially damage the security of the troops,therefore officers were very reluctant to hire such women.
People deny this now,but it was not so difficult to hire Asians for Japanese war effort in the 30′s and early 40′s.Lee Kwan Yu was working for the listening post of the Imperial Army in Singapore translating BBC.Casino Tycoon of Macau,Stanley Ho(now owns the biggest casino empire in the world)was also working petty job for Japanese military intelligence.
I don’t think there were such difficulties getting enough numbers of Japanese women for the job.The only reason the army made the contract with the recruiters in the colony was because wages were much cheaper there.
One of the letter that I mentioned in the blog of yours(and that is used as a proof of official intrusion of the military by the focus groups)is warning for choosing the “right”recruiters when they make contract because some were notorious kidnappers (as rightly you’ve mentioned above)So,tricked maybe,kidnapped I highly doubt about that in case of Japanese ,Taiwanese and Korean comfort women.
Don’t know about the Dutch and the Phillipinos and there is a case of using of the Dutch women against their will in Java.The station was closed by the order of the Javan commander shortly and the men in responsible were hanged by the Dutch authority after the war.
There is a long interview of philosopher Tsurumi Shyunsuke by feminist Ueno Chizuko came out 2 years ago called”戦五°Ã£Â?ΎÂ?ºãÂ?—ãÂ?Ÿã”š”šÃ£Â?®”.These two are boardmember of Asia Women Foundation of which were established by PM Murayama Tomiichi in the 90′s to compensate comfort women.In the book,Tsurumi is confessing his role of maintaining one of the comfort station in Java and recruiting local half caste prostitutes for the station.
But like I said challenging the identity of the comfort women require risks and danger of heating up the debate.
Again Aceface, thanks to your very insightful post as always.
You are saying what I wanted to say, thanks a lot.
“Hey,You’ve already said what I wanted to say,MF.
Every individuals have different cases.Not all were enforced to work as the comfort women.”
I didn’t mean to imply that all or even most of them were physically kidnapped. However, I see that I accidentally typed an extra “the” which make my earlier comment kind of ambiguous, so apologies if you thought that was what I was saying.
“One of the letter that I mentioned in the blog of yours(and that is used as a proof of official intrusion of the military by the focus groups)is warning for choosing the “right”Â?recruiters when they make contract because some were notorious kidnappers (as rightly you’ve mentioned above)So,tricked maybe,kidnapped I highly doubt about that in case of Japanese ,Taiwanese and Korean comfort women.”
I actually think I read a paper by professor 永五¢Ã¥’Å’ from Kyodai analyzing that letter.
The reports of actual kidnapping by Japanese military that I recall were in Indonesia, Philippines, China, maybe Burma. The testimony I’ve heard from Taiwanese and Koreans all tell stories of being tricked in some way and then not being allowed to leave. Maybe they were beaten in the comfort station, but at least they went peacefully in the beginning because they expected to be working some sort of legitimate job. Obviously these were pretty naive girls, from very poor families.
Never heard about Burmese being comfort women.new knowledge.
Were they not just abducted and raped by J-soldiers?
“The testimony I’ve heard from Taiwanese and Koreans all tell stories of being tricked in some way and then not being allowed to leave. ”
I hate to be a wise ass,MF.Most people in Asia don’t come out and say”I voluntarily served for the Japanese Imperial Army”.
Especially when your job was a sex worker.And as I wrote in your blog about my experience with talking to A-bomb victim in one of the peace education class and saw some sort of intoxication in her eyes,I’m a bit reluctant to find these “Meet the Victims” kind testimony at face value.
Aceface
I haven’t read your blog (you don’t link to it) so I can’t judge. I can easily see, though, where a forced sex worker probably would get drunk before testifying. If she spent years trying hard to bury those memories so she can get from day to day, getting drunk may be the only way she could stand to unbury them again.
I don’t have any blog,Michael and did I say anything about women getting drunk?
Oops, my apologies. I misread the part about where you wrote about meeting an A bomb victim. As for the part about drinking. . .
“. . .and saw some sort of intoxication in her eyes,I’m a bit reluctant to find these “Meet the Victims”Â? kind testimony at face value.”
You didn’t say drunk, but if one assumes intoxication to mean altered by drugs, then alcohol is the likeliest suspect. My comments about comfort women were also a bit sloppy (my attention is divided right now), but they apply equally to someone who lived through Hiroshima or Nagasaki; if BAREFOOT GEN is accurate, I can easily see a survivor having a drinking problem for decades afterward. I wouldn’t wish those kinds of memories on my worst enemy.
Michael
I’ve got it.
Intoxification,I meant is this women who was in Hiroshima when A-Bomb exploded and spend half of her life talking her experience to students coming to peace museum in Hiroshima.This is something I’ve wrote as comment in Mutanfrog travelogue.
Perhaps I should not write like that in this blog for nobody but MF would understand and get confused with Mutantfrog ‘s experience of hearing the testimony of the former comfort women.But MF and I are debating from his blog for all day.
I felt this A-bomb victim was kind of intoxificated of talking her victimhood for decades.And many student got so easily effected by her tragedy thus lost historical perspective of A-bomb.Which is,well in my opinion Japan deserved it
It is difficult to take any critical distance if you just listen to the vivid testimony of the actual person who proclaims he or she has first hand experience (normally people do not doubt the accuracy of these testimony especially when you do not know any other knowledge nor alternative viewpoint)thus you accept the ideas of those who set up the testimony in behind,which usually are small focus group with somekind of political intention.Not to say that is wrong nor testimony itself is phony.But I have seen this victim politics over the years.Some were true and others were not.I just have too many questions that are unanswered in this comfort women case.
But then again it is just my opinion.
Aceface
I won’t argue the need for consideration of the wider picture when looking at situations like this. Heck, I just got done trying to argue for just that on the Competing for Genocide thread; either I didn’t succeed, or Hellektor doesn’t want to listen.*shrug*
At the end of the day, it’s just as easy to get lost in the little picture as to get lost in the big.
“I hate to be a wise ass,MF.Most people in Asia don’t come out and say”Â?I voluntarily served for the Japanese Imperial Army”Â?.”
Right, I wouldn’t expect people to be saying that, but I would expect kidnap victims to be discussing it.
BTW, I’m not sure about Burma- it’s just something I MAY have heard.
“Right, I wouldn’t expect people to be saying that, but I would expect kidnap victims to be discussing it.”
Yes.And that could be the motivation of these women came out and speak up.But I still expect them to get fund from Asian Women Fund and I don’t want focus group to flame their resentment and turn it into political propaganda and nationalistic cause like in case of Korea.
Kind of skeptical on Burma.That was a real war zone.No time for such “comfort”.But then again ther is always room for new evidence.
Well, they had tens of thousands of forced laborers building a railroad. I would believe that there were also some forced “comfort women,” but I’m not sure if there are actual reports or not. Maybe someone who has a better idea will comment.
I notice on the Frog’s website that the Japanese Government has apologized for Korean sex slavery. And, on “Samil” day, which commemorates the 1 Mar 1919 independence demonstrations that shook Korea and prompted the Japanese to try a gentler approach to colonialism (that abruptly ended in 1937). I’m kind of skeptical about Burma as well, given that the “Burmese” supported the Japanese wholeheartedly, if one is to believe GEN. Slim’s book. (The upland minorities, such as the Kachin, remained loyal to the British.)
Anyway, by apologizing, Japan has essentially accepted the sex slave arguments, however many may have been “kisaeng”.
“they had tens of thousands of forced laborers building a railroad. I would believe that there were also some forced “comfort women,”Â? ”
I hate to nit pick but this is mostly in Thai side of the border and yes there could be some comfort stations there for Japanese.But inside of Burma is another story.
Weren’t they building the railroad inside Burma also? By the way, I’ve been to bridge on the river Kwai in Thailand. There’s a very strange museum about the forced labor that I need to post photos from some time.
I’ve read an essay at “Shukan Kinyobi” (a very controversial left leaning magazine) that in fact it seems that there were burmese “comfort women” but even the reporter who searched british materials said that these burmish comfort women were for burmese soldiers and labors who corporated to Japan.
What I found annoying is the use of the ideological driven word “comfort woman” or “sex slaves”. Why not just say simply “forced prostitutes”(強制売春ï¼”°
Well, if they don’t get paid they can’t be called prostitutes. Were they given some sort of payment, even if they had been taken against their will?
What I read(long time ago) that Brit had already built railroad in Burma.But none in independent Thailand.River Kwai thing was meant to connect the two country for logistic purpose.
I could be wrong though.
“Were they given some sort of payment”
A lot more than the prostitute back home.Ever seen the movie
甹¬ç«”¹Ã©Â?Šè»Â?隊ã€Â?西ãÂ?¸by late Okamoto kihachi in the 60′s?There is a sequence that a Korean comfort woman saids” I’m going to start my own shop in Korea with the money I saved here!”Okamoto is a liberal by the way.
If they don’t get paid then thats just rape, I think.
Sorry, my post was confusing. I did’nt mean that “comfort women” in burma had been taken against their will. On the contrary, it seems there are no evidence(yet) that there were any who had been taken against their will.
By the way, my understanding is that in generall “comfort women” a)got their pay or b)were working for debts. And additionaly there were some who c) were deceived or kidnapped and forced to prostitute.
Even when all got some payments (debts reducing included), I think b) and c) would be the trivial case which could be described as “forced prostitution”.
Sorry my english sucks.
“a) got their paymens and were working on their own will”
I forgot to add some words.
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Ｈï½”¦Ã£â‚¬â‚¬Ã¯Â½“ï½Â?ï½”¦Ã¯Â½Â?ï½”¹Ã¯Â½“　ï½”?ｈï½”¦Ã£â‚¬â‚¬Ã¯Â½” ï½Â?ｃï½”?　ï½”°Ã¯Â½Å½Ã£â‚¬â‚¬Ã¯Â½”?ｈï½”¦Ã£â‚¬â‚¬Ã¯Â½—ï½’ï½Â?ｎï½”¡Ã£â‚¬â‚¬Ã¯Â½”žÃ¯Â½Â?ｙ．
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/world/AP-Japan-Sex-Slaves.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
My mistake Just confirmed .
AP made an another confusing report.
I swear, nobody protests like they do.
Somebody tell them not to play with food!
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Some korean article from newspaper reports about Korean comfort wemans,
who is recruted by Korean goverment for UN army.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/oldernews/